Earlier Beginnings
by Avatar KENshinJI
Summary: Hiko's actions lead Kenshin to meet Kaoru and her friends a bit earlier than origianlly written out. Years later, Kenshin is not the same wide eyed child he used to be and Kaoru doesn't seem to take it too well. Just as he begins to grow used to the idea
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** KENshinJI here, back from the dead. I know I've been inconsistent with my previous stories, but I think I just haven't found anything to my liking yet that I've written. Plus...they were pretty bad. So here is my new one, and I really hope it doesn't flop:sweatdrop:

**A little background: **This is, what I guess we would call an AU, eh? This particular story starts with a prologue in which a young Kenshin meets up the young versions of people that will grow up to the be dojo members we have come to know. All are about 6-7 years old, except of course Dr. Gensai. Kaoru's father is still alive, but her mother has recently passed away.

With that said, please enjoy!

* * *

Seijuro Hiko stared at the heavily breathing boy on the ground. He extended a foot considering of nudging him in the side but thought better of it. 

'His ribs could be broken. Surely if I hadn't been here, this boy would be dead.' He smirked slightly at this feeling of heroism but quickly let his expression get calm, the smirk simply sliding off his face.

'This boy is in no condition to be _my_ pupil.' He looked him over again. 'Besides, he's scrawny.' His thoughts seemed to be highly amusing for he let out a chuckle. 'On the other hand, he has great potential. He wants to fight for what he believes in. That's good.'

"Boy," his normally booming voice was brought down to a slightly less intimidating level. "What's your name boy?"

The small child didn't answer only peeled his eyes open and gave a shuddering sigh. He glanced to the side and saw that his efforts, along with this strangers hadn't been enough to save the three women he was trying to save. He grimaced and stared at their lifeless bodies. They had once been the only barrier between him and their murderers.

"Don't look at them," he heard again. He blinked and finally tore his gaze away to stare at the man looming above him. "Your name?" he persisted.

"Shi-Shinta," he managed to get out.

'Too soft,' he thought to himself. "Too soft," he echoed out loud. "That name is not fit for a swordsman, which is what you will become by training with me." He thought for a moment and finally nodded his head. "You will now be called Kenshin. Yes, that suits you good."

The boy tried the name out silently on his lips. "Ken...shin...Shin...ta," he finally murmured.

"We start later on, once you are healed. Come, let's find someplace that can fix you up." When the boy didn't make much of an effort to move and follow he turned around and caused the child to flinch. Again, he chuckled. "Can you walk, Kenshin?"

He didn't quite like the sound of that name, but didn't try and answer the gruff looking man. Without a word he was crouched down beside him. In a swift motion he was scooped up and suddenly in the arms that was to be his master. He didn't say a word, and soon the motion of his swaying walk put him to sleep.

Hiko looked occasionally down at the small child he carried in his arms. He was surprising gentle, knowing the boys fragile ribs could well be broken. He had also suffered a rather nasty cut to the side that would leave a scar someone his age should definitely not have.

'His hair is most peculiar,' he only noted to himself. All other assessments of the boy would have to be made later.

-

The next time he woke he found himself on a flat futon. His side was bandaged and it hurt to move. Deep breathing also caused him great pain, and he began to worry that something was terribly wrong with him. In a near panicked state he tried to sit up, but dropped back down again with a soft cry. Just then, the shoji door slid open.

"Ah, you are awake," came the voice of an elderly man. He sounded cheery and joyed at seeing the boy's eyes open. "I'm Dr. Gensai. Hiko-san tells me you are Kenshin?"

He supposed he was now and gave a slight nod of his head to indicate that was correct. He had almost hoped that was a dream.

"Are you feeling okay? A little sore perhaps?"

Another nod. This earned a chuckle from the grey-haired man.

"The good news is you don't have any broken ribs, just some bruises which is what's hurting you a bit. That cut in your side will be okay as long as he keep it from getting infected." He gave a reassuring smile, but it didn't seem to help. "You know, the owner of his dojo, a good friend of mine has a few nice children hanging around here all the time. Perhaps sometime you could play with them. His daughter Kaoru is sort of the leader of the bunch," he added in for extra information. "Then there's her friends Sanosuke, Megumi, and my grand-daughter's Ayame and Suzume, but they're a bit young."

Kenshin had been paying attention but didn't really imagine himself actually playing with the children he mentioned. Just then the shoji slid open again.

"Hiko-san," Dr. Gensai greeted warmly. "As you can see, he's awake now."

The tall man nodded and looked at the boy once more. Some of the color had returned to his face and he looked much less pale now.

"Oi, Nan-sai desu ka?"

Kenshin blinked and stared up at him with his wide amethyst eyes. "Six."

Hiko nodded apparently satisfied. "Tell me, were your parents Japanese?"

"Hai," he answered. It bothered him slightly that this man doubted his heritage, but he seemed to leave it at that at the boy's answer.

"We can't leave yet, can we," he asked Dr. Gensai.

"Afraid not, at least if you want to keep your new student. I don't want to risk an infection."

Kenshin's eyes widened considerably. Dr. Gensai smiled broadly.

"Not to worry Kenshin-chan, we'll fix you up!"

Hiko, taking all of this into consideration finally placed his hand on the door again. "Very well, I'll be back in a month's time. He should be healed completely by then."

"Oh I doubt it will take so long Hiko-san."

"I want to be sure. I live alone, and a trip to the doctor would be a bit out of my way."

Dr. Gensai nodded his head in agreement. "I'm sure Kamiya-san won't mind another little boy in the dojo. I'll speak with him."

"Arigatou," came Hiko's terse reply.

-

It was only a week before Kenshin was out of the small room and walking around the dojo. He explored mostly the outside where the other children played, and he had only wanted to watch. The young girl though, Kaoru was her name had a different idea.

"Kenshin, come play!"

He shook his head softly, but she persisted by walked over and grabbing hold of his wrists. She was as tall as he was, and she succeeded in dragging him over to where the tall boy named Sanosuke stood. He had complied because his side was still a bit sore, and her tugging would have hurt more if he resisted. Thus, Kenshin became involved in exciting games of tag and catch. He soon learned all he needed to know about the games, which were taught to him patiently by Kaoru. Sometimes the little girls, who were two and three would play along too. Kenshin even enjoyed their company.

Finally a month went past, and Hiko showed up promptly. Just as last time, he carried a large jug of liquid in one hand, and his sword in the rather. The huge cape that would swallow Kenshin was draped across his shoulders and swayed back and forth when he strode evenly across the yard.

Kenshin stayed outside to keep playing while he spoke with Kaoru's father and Dr. Gensai. He even graciously shared his sake with them in gratitude for helping the boy and allowing him to stay there. Hiko wasn't completely lacking in manners, he just usually chose to ignore the urge to use them. Now was one of those rare occurrences where he would show his gratitude politely.

On their way out, he stood still just watching the small red-head play. When he ran, his strides were perfectly even, and he could turn on a dime. He had natural abilities, and even though he would never admit, Hiko was looking forward to passing his technique on to this boy. It was best to start as soon as possible, and he wasn't ready to waste any time. He finally stepped down from the dojo steps and strode ever to Kenshin grabbing a hold of his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Again, Kenshin blinked at him, but finally nodded his head. Hiko nodded his own head in approval and released his shoulder to walk ahead and toward the gate. Kenshin glanced apologetically at Kaoru and Sanosuke before offering a slight wave.

"Sayonara," he said softly and he turned to follow the huge man.

Kaoru sniffled, childish tears finding their way down her rosy cheeks. She ran after Kenshin and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"Sayonara, Kenshin," she said back quickly. She finally let go and he smiled before running ahead to catch up with Hiko. He didn't scold him for falling behind, and the two headed out of the city to Hiko's cabin that was all alone in the woods; but not before he refilled his jug of sake.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Okay...I know it was weird, but it will make more sense later on if it didn't already! It's not too hard to follow, I promise! Just ignore the storyline you've come to know and lovein the series.O.o I know, it's hard for me too! Keep in mind this was only the prologue, and the chapters ahead should be longer. 

Anyway, please leave any feedback you want, as long as it's gentle. :sweatdrop: I tend to take reviews sort of personal, but please tell me what I should improve or what I did good on! That's always nice too! Oh, typos in this chapter might be running a bit high because I wrote it late and I'm super tired! Long day! Arigatou!

-KENshinJI


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** Hello again! I'm not feeling too great and wanted to write some more, so here's the next chapter. This one at least turned outlonger. Special thanks to my reviewers, gabyhyatt and plutobaby494! I really appreciate knowing what my readers think so far!

* * *

He sighed as he set the water loaded bucket down. Lifting a delicate hand, he wiped the moisture from his brow and peered across the snow covered landscape. Even though there was snow on the ground, the sun was shining through a thick layer of clouds. The reflection for the powdery white substance was a nuisance, but Kenshin had learned to deal with it.

'Today's the day. I must speak with Shishou.'

With a sigh of resignation, he lifted the bucket again and trotted towards Hiko's small cabin. He lifted a hand and rapped the wooden door cautiously, but firmly. Weakness was one thing his Shishou would not tolerate. When there was no answer, Kenshin leaned in closer and pressed his ear against the door. The door swung open quickly, but he moved back so that he didn't lose his balance.

Hiko stared at his deshi curiously a moment with an eyebrow raised before reaching down and taking the bucket from him. He stepped back inside and moved to close the door again but Kenshin acted first.

"Shishou, wait," he said placing his hand on the door firmly. He considered stepping over the threshold but didn't, afraid that it would anger him.

"What," he responded. He wasn't feeling very patient this morning.

Kenshin picked up on this, but swallowed and realized he had to continue. He had been putting it off, wanting to bring it up, but the time was never right. Now it had to be.

"I want to join the war," he stated.

Hiko blinked and stared at him incredulously. Finally he laughed loudly, causing Kenshin's stubborn expression to turn into a frown of disappointment. When his laughter did not abate Kenshin let out an exasperated sigh.

"Shishou!"

Hiko's mood suddenly sobered up, and he moved forward, pushing Kenshin in the chest rather roughly. "So, you wanna leave?"

"Iie," he said stubbornly. "I want to help people!"

"And how would you go about doing that? Just give me a good answer and you can go along, skipping across Japan doing good deeds for others."

Kenshin opened his mouth to shoot out his answer, but shut it abruptly when he realized he had nothing. To help others...what would he do?

"To help others...I-"

"You would have to kill people," he said. He allowed that one sentence to just resonate through Kenshin's young mind. "You go down there and hand yourself over to those power hungry people and you'll become just like them. You'll be their tool, their shield against opposing forces."

Kenshin shook his head back and forth rapidly. "Shishou, I only want to help, I don't have to kill."

"It's kill or be killed in war, baka deshi. I don't doubt your skills, in fact I am confident that as you are now, you could beat many of the opponents in that war, but you are no where near the same level of skill as I am," he said holding only a tiny note of pride in his voice. He lowered his voice now, hoping he got through to the boy. "There's no need to get involved in that mess now. We're still training."

He turned his back and was satisfied when Kenshin said nothing. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when the boy actually pressed the matter further.

"Shishou, I understand why you don't want to get involved, but I can't stay up here knowing that innocent lives are being taken, especially when I know I can do something to help! Onegai Shishou!"

Hiko let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'Baka Deshi...I knew he was too pure of heart. If only I could have protected him from the knowledge of this war entirely.'

When his eyes opened again, he looked straight forward, refusing to look at Kenshin. "Go then, if it means so much to you, but know that I am not pleased with you." With that, he strode forward again, a bit quicker than normal. He walked inside, not shutting the door, and moments later, various items were discarded in the snow.

Kenshin sighed and moved quickly to collect his tossed belongings. By then, the door had been shut, and he knocked on it softly when he had everything he needed.

"Shishou?"

"Go on, go do your duties. I have nothing else to say. There's no point in talking with someone who doesn't listen," came the muffled response of Hiko from within the cabin.

Kenshin sighed and dropped his head. As he walked away, he heard the familiar sound of the top coming off a sake jar, and the liquid forming a pool at the bottom of Hiko's cup.

------------------------

The young woman tapped her fingers impatiently against the wooden dojo floor. With a sigh she rolled over and faced the ceiling. This held her interest only a moment before she flopped over again before finally jumping to her feet. Her long braid swished behind her.

"Kaoru-chan," she shouted down the hallway. Her foot tapped against the floor. She grinned when the response finally came.

"I'm coming Misao!"

Misao's grin fell slightly. Kaoru could be so slow sometimes! Kaoru continued speaking then, and Misao could tell her voice was growing closer.

"Besides, Misao, it's not as if you haven't seen Edo before." By the time she finished speaking she stood in front of Misao in a lovely red kimono. Pale white sakura blossoms adorned the outfit having very pleasing effect on the eye. "Too girly?"

"No, now can we go," she said giggling slightly. She strode forward and tugged at her friend's arm moving her to the gate.

"We're leaving Dr. Gensai," Kaoru announced without slowing.

Once the pair was outside Misao let go of her friend's arm and took a breath of the fresh air dramatically. "Finally!"

Kaoru laughed and rolled her eyes playfully. "So, what should we do?"

"I don't care, anything!" She looked back quickly, her braid swinging behind her. "You didn't plan anything?"

"You're the one who wanted to go."

Misao shrugged her shoulders and proceeded with balancing on the broken limbs along the road. She was silent for awhile and Kaoru took a breath of the fresh air as well. When the silence persisted she looked over to the unusually quiet Misao.

"Misao-chan? What's wrong?"

"I'm glad to get out of Kyoto," she said almost cheerily. "There was so much going on I thought my head was going to explode. I wasn't even safe in the streets anymore! It seemed like there was always some army. I told you about when we actually had to let them stay at the Aoiya right? Only Kaoru could see something was on her mind. "But Aoshi should have come with us."

"Ahh," Kaoru made a sound of understanding. She supposed she could see what her friend saw in him. Tall, handsome, but there was that icy quality about him that didn't quite appeal to her. "I'm sure he's fine."

Misao only nodded and hopped back onto the road. "So, let's just watch people downtown, okay?"

Kaoru smiled and nodded her head. People watching was one of their favorite things to do. Although she tried to stay calm, Kaoru really wanted to jump up and down yelling loudly. She rarely got to see her friend anymore, and now she was staying with her for a little while. As Misao said, things in Kyoto were getting hectic.

"I'm glad Gramps sent me over here to stay with you," she said happily. Kaoru laughed.

"I was just thinking about that. I'm so happy that we get to spend time with each other!"

They both giggled and sped up slightly to make it the market areas. It was sure to be busy today because a festival was coming up. People were busy preparing meals and making decorations. It was tradition that the children would decorate the town with the help of their parents. Kaoru fondly remembered when she, her father and mother would participate but when they died she lost interest in doing it. It wasn't the same without them.

She snapped from her thoughts when the quiet back roads merged into larger ones and more people moved past them. They now stood in Edo's market area and where people where most commonly found. Further down the street was where the usual gamblers and scum-bugs of the like hung out. Kaoru and Misao made it a point to never go down there. One time, Sano had been caught hanging around some gamblers and had gotten a serious lecture from Kaoru. She didn't tell Dr. Gensai, but she did get something out of it.

"Wanna see if Tae-san's at the Akabeko," Kaoru suggested.

"Sure!" Misao was excited to visit pretty much anyone. "Her family back in Kyoto told me to stop by and give her their 'hellos' anyway."

"I'm sure Tae-san will be happy to hear that her family is doing good too."

"Yeah. Hey maybe we can get a free meal, huh?"

"Misao, you're beginning to sound like Sano!"

Misao's eyes widened. "Eww, Kaoru! Don't ever compare me to rooster-head!"

Kaoru laughed loudly knowing that she and her other friend didn't exactly get along too well. They seemed to have fun arguing though. Misao just rolled her eyes.

"I was just kidding anyway," she said pretending to be mad. It only caused Kaoru to laugh harder though. Misao finally broke out into a grin and grabbed Kaoru's arm to lead them to the Akabeko.

"Ohayou Tae-san," greeted Kaoru when they walked in.

Tae looked up holding a circular tray in front of her.

"Well Ohayou Kaoru-chan!" She look to Misao and smiled happily. "Misao-chan! It's good to see you again! How is everything?"

"It's good Tae-san! How about you?"

"Pretty good, pretty good, you know how busy we get this time of year," she said happily. "It's good business and all, but sometimes these people just run me into the ground." All was said with her usual Western accent.

Misao grinned. "Your family back in Kyoto says 'hello' and that everything is going good. They want to visit sometime."

"That'd be wonderful," Tae exclaimed.

"Oi, can we get some more sake over here?" The man sounded drunk, even though it was early in the morning. Kaoru and Misao both made faces at the thought of drinking, especially so early.

Tae nodded and patted each girl on the shoulder. "You two can go sit over there. I'll be around, just holler if you need something!" She then turned her attention to the disgruntled customer, answering his demand. "Right away Sir, coming!"

Misao shook her head back and forth slowly as they headed towards a booth. "That's why I couldn't work here."

"Why," Kaoru questioned.

"If someone were to talk to me that way, I'd have to correct them of course," she said with her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh, Tae-san endures worse than that," Kaoru said sadly.

"I know! I think I'd end up popping somebody in the face!" She punched the air to demonstrate her point.

Both girls simply sat back and listened now catching snippets of conversation among the guests of the Akabeko. When something interesting suddenly popped up, they tried very hard not to listen, but often found themselves failing to be polite and close their ears to the conversation. Kaoru and Misao both happened upon, probably the most interesting they'd ever eavesdropped on.

"-Katsura and his men, right?"

"Yeah, including _Battousai_," came the somewhat hushed response.

There were several murmurs of approval, along with what Kaoru recognized as worry. She glanced over to Misao and saw that her friend was hearing the exact same thing she was and was returning her gaze.

"I wonder why they're coming all the way from Kyoto," someone finally said, breaking the silence. "I mean, why leave the capital? That's where everything is happening."

"I don't know, but hopefully they aren't bringing any trouble with them."

"If Battousai's coming it must be something big. Katsura is a smart man, and Edo is Ishin Shishi friendly, so it might be a wise move of him to come here. Perhaps he's learned of enemies nearby. Who knows?"

There was a sigh from everyone at the booth before they finally switched the subject. After learning that the group was supposed to arrive this afternoon, Kaoru and Misao turned their attentions back to each other. Misao started first.

"Wow...This is what we were trying to get away from."

Kaoru didn't respond, but instead was stuck on the fact that Battousai was coming, here to Edo. Red hair, rather petite and almost feminine looking. She knew of no other that could fit that description than Kenshin. Misao suddenly made the connection.

"Oh yeah! I remember you telling me about him! Man...what was his name?" She looked upwards in thought. "Kenshin!" She shouted it out before Kaoru could answer her question for her.

"Yeah, that's him," Kaoru finally said. "I mean, do you think it's him?"

"I don't know, I never saw him. When we were ten, you told me about a boy you met when we were little with red hair, that's all."

"But he was really small and looked kinda like..."

"A little girl?"

"I don't wanna say that because it sounds mean," she said laughing softly. It was rather hard to imagine the young shy boy as a legendary killer afterall. "But yes, he was rather feminine looking."

Misao looked skeptical.

"You don't believe do you?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow at her friend, but Misao only waved her hand in Kaoru's direction.

"I'm your best friend, it's my job to believe you, but it does sound a little far-fetched. I mean, how ironic would that be?"

"Well he has to have known somebody."

"Actually I heard he grew up all alone with only his master training him."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "But before that. You can even ask Dr. Gensai, I know he remembers him."

Misao shrugged her shoulders and a wild look suddenly came into her blue eyes. "Maybe we should stick around nearby all day and then look for him! Maybe they'll even be here for the festival!"

Kaoru widened her eyes and shook her head. "Misao, no. Associating with killers is something we probably should avoid."

"Even if you know him?"

"Even if I _knew_ him. Besides, that was seven years ago. He probably wouldn't even remember me, and he's obviously changed a lot, _if _that's even him."

Again, Misao shrugged her shoulders and leaned back against the wall comfortably. "I still think we should find him and find out. Maybe you can get to him again. What is he, eighteen?"

"Fifteen, just like us Misao."

"Oh, yeah! I forgot he was so young! Geez."

Kaoru nodded her head and laughed. "Weird huh? That'd be like us killing people for a living already."

Misao gave a dramatic shudder and both girls fell into a fit of giggles.

-

They had stayed at the Akabeko for another hour before finally leaving. It was growing busier and they decided they should let someone who actually wanted to eat to have the table. Tae gave them a box of rice balls and beef stew for lunch and they took their meal down towards the river. It was nice and quiet there, and a welcomed change from the noisy restaurant they had come from.

"We don't have anything else planned for today, do we," Misao asked between bites of her rice ball.

"No." Kaoru sat with her feet dangling in the clear water, as did Misao.

"I'm your guest, so we should do what I say," she declared proudly.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Kaoru regretted asking, because she knew where this was going, but failed to stop Misao in time.

"We have to find Battousai! I wanna see if people are right about him, especially you!"

Kaoru sighed, but didn't argue against the idea. She had been wanting to see if Battousai was the Kenshin she knew since the war had first started, and rumors about the deadly boy started. Through everything that came up about him, and in every story, he always had red hair and looked like a woman from a distance. How many men in Japan could look like that?

The newest rumor among town, or the town girls for that matter, was that Battousai was supposed to be very handsome, despite his girlish looks at first glance. Kaoru just rolled her eyes at the giggling swarms of girls. Didn't they know he was deadly?

"So, what do you say? Are you coming with me or not, because I'm going no matter what."

"Well, I guess I'll go. I've been wondering about it for a long time. Besides, I have to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Misao only laughed, and pretended to push Kaoru in the river. They finished up their lunch, and then headed back to the market area where they found a wall to lean against. They were perfectly content to just wait and chat.

"This road leads in and out of Edo. If Katsura and his men come, they'll surely have to come up this street," Kaoru said.

"What if they take a back road?"

"They'll still come up this way. All of the good inns are on that half of the street." She pointed to her left. "We'll see them if they come."

Misao apparently was satisfied with this, for she gave a nod and leaned her head back to rest against the wooden building.

The hour that they stood there didn't seem long at all. They occupied their time by chatting with each other, people they knew that were passing by, and simply, people watching. One could do this for hours, and never grow tired of it. Finally though, Misao jumped up and pointed excitedly down the street where a small group of men was making their way through the crowd.

Each member of the group wore a peasant straw hat to try and conceal some of their faces. They walked in a sort of triangle, with one man at the front and the rest falling behind him in an organized group.

"Kaoru, look!" Misao moved foward, but was stopped by Kaoru.

"No, what are you doing?"

"I didn't wait for two hours for nothing! I'm gonna go find your man!"

Kaoru grabbed a hold of Misao's braid quickly, which luckily was long enough before she got away. "Not yet! We know they're here, so they'll most likely be here for awhile. We can find him when he's not with the entire group of men, okay?"

Misao stared at the men longer before finally sighing and stepping back against the wall. Carefully, she plucked her braid from Kaoru's hand, and gave her an angry look that Kaoru new wasn't real. She returned the "glare" with a smile and sighed leaning against the wall as well.

Even though they didn't discuss it, both of them knew they'd be standing against this wall longer than planned. They would find him and figure this out, probably by tonight. Misao leaned forward and looked around, a grim and bored expression on her face.

"Can we at least find a different wall? This view is killing me," she complained lightly.

Kaoru laughed but agreed and found a spot opposite the inn they saw the small army go into.

-

It wasn't long before they all started to file out. One at a time they came outside, stretched and headed off, probably to a bar or gambling house.

They waited anxiously, but finally they saw him. He stepped out from the inn and looked straight ahead the whole time. He turned sharply and headed left, his swords still at his side. With quick but easy, practiced movements, he wove his way through the crowd. Misao took off after him, soon followed by Kaoru, who was really just trying to stop her.

He was easy to follow, because people would tend to make a loop around him, just as they did with the other soldiers. They simply followed in the small path behind him, but were surprised when he suddenly started changing directions and sped up, making it harder for them to keep up with him.

"He knows we're following him," Misao said to Kaoru who was now beside her. "Kenshin!"

"Misao," Kaoru hissed.

"Look, it worked!" Misao sped up even more, closing the distance between them. Kaoru looked ahead to see that it indeed had worked. Kenshin had frozen in his tracks. Pretty soon, they stood right behind him, and he whirled around, placing his hand on his belt where his swords were.

"Whoa!" Misao held up her hands. She laughed comfortably. "No need for..." she stopped when she looked at his eyes. They were a burning amber color, and looked almost empty. The one emotion that seemed to fill them was anger, pure hatred even. Just by looking, you could tell he wasn't a very happy person. "Oh..." Misao glanced to the side, but looked up suddenly, regaining her confidence. It was sometimes easy to throw Misao off-track, but she recovered herself very quickly. Kaoru was extremely grateful for that now.

She glanced at his side again, where his hand no longer rested. "Right, like I said, there's no need for that." She paused, gathering her thoughts and then continued, looking calm as ever. They might as well have been talking to an old friend, and not a manslayer. "First of all, you _are_ Kenshin, right?"

A slight nod from him indicated this was true, although he seemed hesitant to admit it.

"Don't worry, telling us your name isn't going to do anything bad. We knew it anyway."

He looked to Kaoru then, and she was a little disappointed to see no immediate recognition in his eyes. She definitely remembered him, even though he was quite different than the last time she'd seen him. He was short though, barely taller than she was. His hair was indeed a brilliant, flaming red color, but his eyes...they were different.

She remembered his eyes to be huge amethyst pools of innocence and kindness. The boy that stood before her definitely didn't have the calm eyes she remembered. Could eyes change colors?

"So, Kesnshin," Misao boldly stepped closer, and he reflexively stepped back.

"Misao..." Kaoru warned her friend.

"What? This is a favor for you." She turned her attention back to Kenshin, and her mouth fell open when the spot where he had been standing earlier was filled with a group of new unrecognized people. "Where'd he go?"

Her cheeks had stopped burning and she tried to see through the crowd, but that was pointless. "He's gone Misao..." She sounded disappointed.

"I didn't mean to scare him away Kaoru, I really didn't. I'm sorry," she said softly.

Kaoru laughed and smiled, looking her friend in the eye. "I doubt it was your fault."

"But I do think I was a little too forward," she said again.

"Forward?" Kaoru grinned. "What, were you flirting with him?"

This time it was her friend's turn to turn bright red. "Kaoru!"

"Aha," she shouted happily!

"Kaoru, no! You know that! I have Aoshi, I'm doing this for _you,_" she said pointing and grinning.

Kaoru calmed down and nodded her head. "It was weird seeing him again," she concluded.

"Oh it's not over," Misao stated. "First thing tomorrow, we're gonna find him again."

"Misao, we don't have to do that."

"I want to. I want to find out if you're telling me the truth or not," she said casually. "Plus, I know you want to see him again. You're just hoping he'll remember you, aren't you?" She nudged Kaoru in the side.

Kaoru was quiet for a moment, but finally smiled softly. "I did sort of hope he'd remember. But it's been so long..." her voice trailed off.

Misao didn't answer, but was already planning tomorrow's journey. She suddenly reached up towards the sky and grabbed Kaoru's arm again. "Come on, I'm beat. I need food, sleep and time to think over how we're gonna approach him tomorrow. I think you should, because I think I'm a little too loud for him, what do you think?"

"I don't know Misao, you did sort of scare him," she said in good humor.

She gave a wise looking nod, and they headed home.

A red-haired boy watched from the corner of a dark alleyway, his eyes glowing as narrowed slits. The two girls were gone, and so he finally stepped out again, only to retreat back to the inn room. Katsura had told them to go outside and do whatever they pleased for now. Kenshin figured he'd be satisfied with his trip to the market and back, so he slipped unnoticed back upstairs where it was quiet and he could be alone.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Ahh, it feels good to have this chapter out! When I get a chance, I'll try and go through and correct any mistakes I didn't catch on my speed check. It's late, I'm tired and sick...not good.Thanks to everyone who read and reviews! Please let me know what you think! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, it sort of depends on the feedback I get! Thanks again!

-KENshinJI


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